Psych midterm 1 ch 1 and 2

In evolutionary theory, the physical characteristics, skills, or abilities that increase the chances of reproduction or survival and are therefore likely to be passed along to future generations. (page 13)

A psychological approach that emphasizes the role of environmental forces in producing observable behavior. (page 15)

The study of the neural mechanisms underlying thought, learning, perception, language, and memory. (page 17)

Systematically questioning and evaluating information using well-supported evidence. (page 5)

The beliefs, values, rules, and customs that exist within a group of people who share a common language and environment. (page 10)

A theory presented by the naturalist Charles Darwin; it views the history of a species in terms of the inherited, adaptive value of physical characteristics, of mental activity, and of behavior. (page 13)

An approach to psychology concerned with the adaptive purpose, or function, of mind and behavior. (page 13)

A theory based on the idea that the whole of personal experience is different from the sum of its constituent elements. (page 15)

This approach focuses on the basic goodness of people and how they become happier and more fulfilled. (page 16)

A systematic examination of subjective mental experiences that requires people to inspect and report on the content of their thoughts. (page 12)

A fundamental psychological issue: Are mind and body separate and distinct, or is the mind simply the physical brain's subjective experience? (page 10)

In evolutionary theory, the idea that those who inherit characteristics that help them adapt to their particular environments have a selective advantage over those who do not. (page 13)

The arguments concerning whether psychological characteristics are biologically innate or acquired through education, experience, and culture. (page 10)

A method developed by Sigmund Freud that attempts to bring the contents of the unconscious into conscious awareness so that conflicts can be revealed. (page 14)

The study, through research, of mind, brain, and behavior. (page 4)

A phrase coined by William James to describe each person's continuous series of ever-changing thoughts. (page 12)

An approach to psychology based on the idea that conscious experience can be broken down into its basic underlying components. (page 12)

The place where mental processes operate below the level of conscious awareness. (page 14)

The degree to which an experimental measure is free from error. (page 57)

A descriptive research method that involves the intensive examination of an unusual person or organization. (page 39)

A measure that represents the typical response or the behavior of a group as a whole. (page 58)

Anything that affects a dependent variable and that may unintentionally vary between the experimental conditions of a study. (page 48)

The extent to which variables measure what they are supposed to measure. (page 56)

The participants in an experiment who receive no intervention or who receive an intervention that is unrelated to the independent variable being investigated. (page 47)

A descriptive statistic that indicates the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables. (page 60)

A research method that describes and predicts how variables are naturally related in the real world, without any attempt by the researcher to alter them or assign causation between them. (page 43)

Studies that take into account the role that culture plays in determining thoughts, feelings, and actions. (page 50)

A collection of measurements gathered during the research process. (page 30)

The variable that gets measured in a research study. (page 47)

Research methods that involve observing behavior to describe that behavior objectively and systematically. (page 39)

Statistics that summarize the data collected in a study. (page 58)

A problem encountered in correlational studies; the researchers find a relationship between two variables, but they cannot determine which variable may have caused changes in the other variable. (page 44)

A research method that tests causal hypotheses by manipulating and measuring variables. (page 46)

The participants in an experiment who receive the treatment. (page 47)

Actual change in the behavior of the people or nonhuman animals being observed that is due to the expectations of the observer. (page 42)

The degree to which the findings of a study can be generalized to other people, settings, or situations. (page 56)

A specific, testable prediction, narrower than the theory it is based on. (page 31)

The variable that gets manipulated in a research study. (page 46)

A set of procedures that enable researchers to decide whether differences between two or more groups are probably just chance variations or whether they reflect true differences in the populations being compared. (page 61)

Groups of people responsible for reviewing proposed research to ensure that it meets the accepted standards of science and provides for the physical and emotional well-being of research participants. (page 52)

The degree to which the effects observed in an experiment are due to the independent variable and not to confounds. (page 56)

A measure of central tendency that is the arithmetic average of a set of numbers. (page 58)

A measure of central tendency that is the value in a set of numbers that falls exactly halfway between the lowest and highest values. (page 59)

A "study of studies" that combines the findings of multiple studies to arrive at a conclusion. (page 62)

A measure of central tendency that is the most frequent score or value in a set of numbers. (page 59)

A type of descriptive study in which the researcher is a passive observer, separated from the situation and making no attempt to change or alter ongoing behavior. (page 40)

A relationship between two variables in which one variable increases when the other decreases. (page 44)

Systematic errors in observation that occur because of an observer's expectations. (page 42)

A definition that qualifies (describes) and quantifies (measures) a variable so the variable can be understood objectively. (page 47)

A type of descriptive study in which the researcher is involved in the situation. (page 40)

Everyone in the group the experimenter is interested in. (page 49)

A relationship between two variables in which both variables either increase or decrease together. (page 43)

Placing research participants into the conditions of an experiment in such a way that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any level of the independent variable. (page 49)

The phenomenon that occurs when knowledge that one is being observed alters the behavior being observed. (page 41)

The degree to which a measure is stable and consistent over time. (page 56)

Repetition of a research study to confirm or contradict the results. (page 35)

A scientific process that involves the careful collection, analysis, and interpretation of data. (page 30)

A subset of a population. (page 49)

A graphical depiction of the relationship between two variables. (page 43)

A systematic and dynamic procedure of observing and measuring phenomena, used to achieve the goals of description, prediction, control, and explanation; it involves an interaction between research, theories, and hypotheses. (page 30)

In an experiment, unintended differences between the participants in different groups; it could be caused by nonrandom assignment to groups. (page 50)

Methods of data collection in which people are asked to provide information about themselves, such as in surveys or questionnaires. (page 40)

A statistical measure of how far away each value is, on average, from the mean. (page 60)

A model of interconnected ideas or concepts that explains what is observed and makes predictions about future events. Theories are based on empirical evidence. (page 31)

A problem that occurs when the researcher cannot directly manipulate variables; as a result, the researcher cannot be confident that another, unmeasured variable is not the actual cause of differences in the variables of interest. (page 45)

In a set of numbers, how widely dispersed the values are from each other and from the mean. (page 60)

Something in the world that can vary and that a researcher can manipulate (change), measure (evaluate), or both. (page 38)

A relationship between two variables in which one variable is not predictably related to the other. (page 44)